THIS was a victory to establish bona fides, it was a win to firm the Western Bulldogs as an outfit of merit to be respected, and to raise the first scratching queries about St Kilda.

The Bulldogs overcame a seemingly match-defining 37 point deficit at quarter- time to completely upstage the Saints and remain undefeated, winning by 38 points.

These sides, which drew at the same venue, when they last met last year, returned for another thrilling performance.

This was a match to measure the Dogs.

Round one they pinched a game they should not have in Brad Johnson's 300th, next they had the modern version of a bye playing Melbourne — nobody's idea of testing competition to date this year.

Last night they met St Kilda — many people's idea of real competition this year — and

thoroughly outplayed them. For three quarters.

Ceding a lead in the first quarter that should have been game deciding the Bulldogs fought their way into the contest first and then took it away.

From quarter time the Dogs booted 10 goals to three in the middle quarters and humbled St Kilda in the last term, kicking eight goals to three.

This was done trough tireless running with the ball and movement by hand, through clearing the ball from stoppages and a defence that stood taller and ran hard for coverage,

The height of the Saints forwards against the shorter Bulldogs defence was theoretically problematic.

Brian Lake trades weight well with Fraser Gehrig, but what of Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke?

Just to tease, Riewoldt began at half-back before drifting forward to be met by Dale Morris, one of several Dogs routinely asked to play above his size.

Riewoldt has previously attracted Ryan Hargrave who has done well, but the Dog was instead left loose in defence while Jason Gram played the loose man for the Saints.

Riewoldt is perhaps a player like Scott Lucas who might be better manned by the slightly shorter running player who can compete overhead than the true centre half-back whom he can run off his feet.

That said Morris was outstanding last night.

Koschitzke, meanwhile, took the perennially raw Cameron Wight and was able to immediately exploit his advantage, prizing the Bulldogs open in the first minutes with two strong grabs.

The first he floated across the pack, the next he was in the pack, holding the mark as Riewoldt descended on him.

He converted both for goals and when he crumbed his own ball moments later and snapped he could have had three within the first six minutes.

Gehrig converted a free kick off the ball and the Saints had a five goal lead within 16 minutes and things were threatening to get very messy.

Jarrod Harbrow kicked the Bulldogs first late in the term but the first quarter margin was bloated by a poor, late umpiring decision when Jason Akermanis ran Leigh Fisher down from behind and in his lunge to grab Fisher's shorts was deemed to have pushed.

It was a decision without merit or context. The free kick to Fisher created a goal.

The Dogs edged into the game with four unanswered goals in the second term and could have entered the main break just two kicks behind the Saints but for a Will Minson moment of stupidity.

He dropped his knees into a Saint opponent in a disolving pack and gave away the free.

The kick to the goal square was sharked by Schneider with a scoop out from Koschitzke.

It was deflating that the Dogs' running into the game had been pricked.

Irrespective the Dogs managed to continue to deny St Kilda its game through run and numbers in the third term.

Mis-matches were created forward and Josh Hill was regularly left alone and exploited the space given to him.

Akermanis had said that he felt he was returning to playing his best football this year and duly he goaled in the manner befitting his best games, threading the needle from the pockets and kicking two goals in the vital third quarter when the Dogs overhauled the Saints.

The Bulldogs kicked 18.9 to 6.6 after quarter-time to notch the 38-point win, their first over the Saints since 2004, after trailing by 37 points at the first change.

With the Saints' dominance of their head-to-head record in recent years thanks largely to the dominance of their big forwards, the first quarter of tonight's match suggested that trend was set to be followed again.

St Kilda blitzed the Bulldogs 7.3 to 1.2 in the first term, with star forwards Koschitzke and Riewoldt looking too strong for their respective opponents Cameron Wight and Dale Morris, to kick two goals each.

But that was pretty much where it stopped for the Saints' tall towers — neither scoring another goal until deep in the final term — and their side as a whole, as their opponents worked their way on top and the Bulldogs took over the contest in the centre.

WESTERN BULLDOGS 1.2 6.6 11.9 19.11 (125)
ST KILDA 7.3 9.6 10.8 13.9 (87)
GOALS - Western Bulldogs: Akermanis 3, Griffen 3, Hahn 3, Cooney 2, Hill 2, Harbrow 2, Murphy, Wight, Welsh, Minson.
St Kilda: Koschitzke 3, Riewoldt 2, Milne 2, Ball 2, Gehrig, Schneider, Montagna, Gram.
BEST - Western Bulldogs: Cooney, Cross, Griffen, Giansiracusa, Murphy, Morris, Akermanis. St Kilda: Fisher, Dal Santo, Fiora, Koschitzke, Gram, Montagna.
REPORTS Nil.
INJURIES Nil.
UMPIRES C Donlon, H Kennedy, B Rosebury
CROWD 38,667 at the Telstra Dome.

FAST FOOTY

THE UPSHOT - The Western Bulldogs' thrilling pace, willingness to take risks and never-say-die attitude will trouble the best sides in the competition.
TURNING POINT - Mitch Hahn's goal midway through the second term came after he spoiled Raphael Clarke, broke a tackle and swung onto his left boot, cutting the margin to 17 points and giving the 'Dogs a sniff.
HOT AND COLD? St Kilda's Justin Koschitzke started in a blaze of glory, taking a towering mark and booting the first two goals of the match before fizzling out and having little impact.